Publicity tips/Why Most Authors Fail April 15, 2008

The Publicity Hound's
Tips of the Week Issue
#394 April 15, 2008
Publisher: Joan Stewart
mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com
http://www.PublicityHound.com
http://www.publicityhound.net/ (Blog)
The Publicity Hound®

Circulation: 44,401

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"Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity"

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Attention Wisconsin Hounds:

Meet me next week, April 22, at my day-long workshop in Shorewood (Milwaukee). In the morning, learn about online and offline publicity and video. In the afternoon, learn how to write and post direct-to-consumer press releases. We're almost filled to capacity, so sign up today before you're closed out: http://www.publicityhound.com/teleseminar.htm

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In This Issue
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1. Why Most Authors Fail

2. Don't Make the Video Mistake I Made

3. Connect with Top-Tier Journalists

4. Answers to Your Craigslist Questions

5. Promoting a Gift Service for Kids

6. Help This Hound

7. Hound Quote of the Week

8. At My Blog...


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1. Why Most Authors Fail
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Yes, I said most. As in more than 90 percent.

Some weeks, based on the calls I receive from frustrated authors who can't sell their books, I conclude that 9 out of 10 of the authors who wrote the more than 170,000 titles last year should never have written their books in the first place.

When the phone rings and it's a desperate author begging for advice on how to generate free publicity, the first question I ask is, "Who's your target audience?"

Silence.

"That's what I'm hoping you'll help me decide," the authors sometimes reply.

By then, it's way too late. I've spoken with authors who have spent up to five years of their lives writing, editing and publishing their books. Some have applied for bank loans. Others have sold books, but they can barely cover the cost of self-publishing.

Sadly, most authors' success doesn't come anywhere close to their fantasies of selling thousands of books and attracting a huge following.

It kills me to see authors make dumb mistakes, and then struggle to move piles of books nobody wants to read.

Other authors, like the creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Rich Dad Poor Dad, are happily not-so-famous but quietly raking in high six-figure and even seven-figure annual incomes without ever being on "Oprah" or hitting any bestseller list.

To learn what those wildly successful authors know that poor authors don't, sign up for a free 75-minute telephone seminar this Thursday, April 17, at your choice of two times: either 2 p.m. Eastern or 7 p.m. Eastern. It will be hosted by Steve Harrison, who will explain the seven key differences between r^ch authors and poor authors and why they aren't obvious things like getting publicity or having a good title, although those things are important.

You'll also learn how the top 0.1 percent of authors overcome the many problems and frequent obstacles of the bookstore distribution system, and the "unfair advantage" r^ch authors use to win the publishing game which 99.9 percent of the other authors don't know anything about.

There's no cost to participate on the call (except for your normal long distance charges). So if you're writing your next nonfiction book, or planning to write one, don't miss this call. Go to http://publicityhound.net/RichAuthorSecrets to learn how to participate.


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2. Don't Make the Video Mistake I Made
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Speaking of dumb mistakes, here's one of mine.

When I wanted to start creating video, I foolishly bought an Aiptek HD camcorder, thinking the quality would be far superior to much simpler-to-use cameras.

For five days, I struggled.

The instruction manual has print so small that I held a magnifying glass in one hand trying to read the directions, and the camera in the other, trying to fiddle with the controls. Not only that, but the joystick on the back of the camcorder was difficult to move up and down and back and forth.

Three days later, when I finally figured out how to record, I watched my first video on my computer screen. But I could barely hear the audio and I couldn't figure out what I did wrong.

Then I met Mike Stewart, who told me one of the biggest mistakes people make when entering the world of video is buying equipment with too many bells and whistles, and then spending days like I did figuring out how to use it.

That's valuable time that can be spent cranking out videos and posting them to a website or video blog to pull in tons of traffic. Google, it's worth remembering, bought YouTube for $1.65 billion--proof that the granddaddy of search engines gives high priority to video and will reward you handsomely if you use it.

Mike recommends two brands of camcorders. One is the Flip Video. I immediately went to Best Buy to exchange the Aiptek for a Flip. I had it out of the box, on the tripod and recording in less than half an hour, by myself! He then showed me how to use a video editing software program that's so easy and cool, I felt like a big-shot Hollywood producer.

I'm hosting a free teleseminar with Mike from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 17, for the first 300 Publicity Hounds who sign up. As of this morning, I only had 26 seats remaining, and it will certainly be filled to capacity before long. Mike will teach you how to create videos for YouTube, for one-page sales letters, and for your own video blog or website.

Learn how to participate in "How to Create Videos for Your Website to Pull Traffic, Impress Visitors, Make the Phone Ring and Close the Sale" at http://www.PublicityHound.com/mikestewartvideo.htm


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3. Connect with Top-Tier Journalists
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Here are three more reasons why I'm wild about Publicity Hounds getting a subscription to Expertclick: The Online Yearbook of Experts. Speakers and authors, pay attention.

- -Mitch Davis of Expertclick is speaking at the International Association of Speaker Bureaus' annual convention in Chicago on April 24. Many Expertclick clients are speakers and authors who greatly benefit from his networking. He's giving away copies of the Yearbook of Experts to help his clients promote themselves to speakers bureaus.

- -Mitch rubs elbows with more top-tier journalists and broadcasters than almost anybody I know. Over the weekend, he passed out yearbooks at the 37th Annual American Society of Journalists, Authors and Writers Conference in New York. He's also passing them out at Talkers Magazine's 11th Annual New Media Seminar, and at the Society of Professional Journalists National Convention.

- -When Mitch attends a trade show or convention, he invites Expertclick clients to a client appreciation networking program. He also invites local journalists, who have a table full of sources right at their fingertips. He'll be hosting these events April 25 in Chicago at the International Association of Speakers Bureau event, the National Association of Government Communicators event April 28 in Albuquerque, the National Speakers Association's branding lab on May 2 in Boston, NSA's Speakers Academy May 9 in Atlanta, and the giant Book Expo May 29 in Los Angeles.

I'm an Expertclick subscriber, and several journalists have called me for stories or commentary after searching the Expertclick database. Tell Expertclick you're a Publicity Hound reader and they'll knock $100 off your subscription price. Learn more about this great service at http://PublicityHound.net/expertclick


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4. Answers to Your Craigslist Questions
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I'm still amazed at the number of people who don't use Craigslist as part of their publicity campaigns.

I don't care what you're selling. You should be posting regularly to the Craigslist nearest to where you live, even if you're in Podunk Junction.

In a question-and-answer feature about Craigslist in The New York Times last year, Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist, said postings on the smaller Craigslists can be just as valuable as postings on lists for big cities like New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"Surprisingly, postings to smaller markets like Des Moines often get more page views than ones in large cities where there are more postings competing for attention," he said.

You can read the entire feature at
http://publicityhound.net/craigslistquestions

But before you start posting, take advantage of the dozens of tips that Nancy Mills shares on how to make the most of this worldwide bulletin board. She was my guest during a teleseminar on "How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool" and passed along fabulous tips on how to save time, pull Craigslist visitors to your website and make this service one of your most powerful publicity tools.

It's available as a CD or an electronic transcript that you can download and be reading as soon as your order has been approved.

Read more about what you'll learn at
http://publicityhound.net/cdcraigslist


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5. Promoting a Gift Service for Kids
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This week, 10 Publicity Hounds have tips on how Steve Mock of Henderson, Nevada can promote his company, Giftventure, that gives children a personalized week-long treasure hunt.


From Susan Gingerich:

"Where are kids found? At the library during story hour, at the playground, and kids events. Work with promoters of these venues to stage a hidden treasure that is found with, none other than, your clues.

"Most activities sponsored by parks and recreation centers and libraries and have media coverage. You can tag onto their press as a sponsor and pass information onto parents at the events in a secret letter for parents."


From John Easton:

"I would consider running a contest for a video of the most entertaining reaction to your product. Have your customers upload videos to one of the online services (YouTube, Blip.tv, Revver, or other) and select the best one. I am partial to Brightcove and Splashcast which allow your customers to upload videos to your account directly (Brightcove enables you to filter the videos) and display the uploaded videos in a multi-channel player.

"I am willing to bet you would get some submissions that would rival America's Funniest Home Videos, and these could spread the word about you like wild fire."


From Carol White:

"Contact all the major sites where moms and grandparents hang out and offer a story about gift giving, a contest, etc. Here are a few ideas: MomsMinivan.com, Eons.com, Grandparents.com, 2young2retire.com, Boomerwomenspeak.com. At each site, look at their list of links for more ideas of sites to contact."


The Publicity Hound says:

Steve, your service is perfect for the many gift guides published by newspapers and magazines. The Gift List sells a database that tells you exactly which media are planning special sections and other features highlighting gifts. For example, gift guides in parents magazines would be a perfect place to pitch a story about your business. Learn more about the Gift List at http://publicityhound.net/giftlist


Read all the responses to this week's Help This Hound question at http://publicityhound.net/giftventure


Send your own Help this Hound question to: mailto:JStewart@PublicityHound.com?subject=HelpThisHound and include your city and state.


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6. Help This Hound
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Alex Foo of Christmas Island, Australia writes:

"I resigned from a prestigious job three years ago when I discovered that I could help people start Speaking Chinese in 58 minutes with no pen, no paper.

"My dream is to help 957,000 people around the world start speaking some basic Chinese before the Beijing Olympic Games held in August this year. Equally important, a portion of the proceeds from my DVDs and Cds will go to help 6 million men, women and children help themselves so that they no longer have to worry where the next meal is going to come from.

"What's the best way for me to spread the word about what I'm doing? My website is at http://www.ChinaSpeak.com.au (turn down your speakers)."


The Publicity Hound says:

Alex, the Beijing Olympics are the perfect tie-in! Let's see what specific ideas or pitching angles my Hounds can suggest. Hounds with tips for Alex can post them to my blog at http://publicityhound.net/speakchinese

Here's my idea. How about trying to get onto one of the many shows on National Public Radio that deal with topics like travel and culture, and give listeners a few basic lessons on how to speak Chinese quickly? I visited your website and saw from one of your videos that your mom teaches Chinese and your dad does Chinese calligraphy. I'm sure you have some great stories to share with NPR audiences. See "How to Get Booked on National Public Radio" at http://PublicityHound.net/cdnpr for helpful tips on how to get onto the shows, give great interviews and be invited back.


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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Alert Publicity Hounds emailed me after they read last week's item here about Loews Hotels' "learning vacations" for four- legged hounds and asked about the other two services that I read about in Midwest Airlines' inflight magazine. Here they are:

- -At Su'ruff Camp at Lowes Coronado Bay Resort, about 45 minutes from Tampa, Florida, dogs get surfing lessons with Coronado Surfing Academy at Coronado's Dog Beach.

- -At Outward Hound at Loews Denver Hotel--which features a two- hour on-and-off leash guided hike with a personal trainer--dogs get fresh-baked healthy treats, limo pick-up and drop-off, and a personalized Web photo gallery documenting their adventure.


If you're targeting your publicity at an upscale, well-educated audience, in-flight magazines might be the perfect vehicle for your story. "Special Report #27: Fly High with Publicity in the Inflight Magazines" saves you hours of research with pitching tips galore and contact information for 43 inflight magazines. Read more about the report at http://publicityhound.com/publicity-products/reports.html


DOG JOKES & QUOTES EBOOK: 170+ G-rated dog jokes and quotes, perfect for a dog-lover, your favorite vet, or just for a few good laughs.

BONUS: Buy the ebook and you also get a compilation of the 50 best websites for dog humor.

Http://www.publicityhound.com/dogjokebook/


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8. At My Blog...
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National mag wants Wisconsin expert in small biz retailing http://publicityhound.net/smallbizretailing


How to promote your 'best of' honor for more publicity
http://publicityhound.net/bestofhonor


American Airlines' canceled flights a publicity op
http://publicityhound.net/canceledflights


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Where to See or Hear The Publicity Hound


April 17: Teleseminar

Mike Stewart demystifies the process of creating video for your website; 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is free. Only 26 seats left as of today so register now: http://www.PublicityHound.com/mikestewartvideo.htm


April 22: Shorewood, Wisconsin

"Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Online & Offline Publicity," 8:30 to noon, and "The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write Them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists," 1 to 3:30 p.m.; North Star, 4515 W. Oakland Ave., sponsored by the Shorewood Business Improvement District. Tickets are $75 each or $65 for two or more persons. To register, contact Barb Caprile at barb@shorewood.com or 414-962-7002.


April 30: Teleseminar

"How to Create a Media Plan," part of the teleseminar series "Intro to Internet Marketing" for health professionals. Perfect for doctors, nurses, spa owners, holistic health counselors, massage therapists, etc. Register at http://publicityhound.net/introinternetmarketing


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Joan Stewart
a. k.a. The Publicity Hound®
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
U. S.A.
Phone: 262-284-7451 (Central) Fax: 262-284-1737